As preseason is well underway in the NFL, it is time to take a look at the landscape of the NFL. The only way to start is to take a look at the most important position in the game, the quarterback. For the next few weeks, we will be going division by division ranking quarterbacks. This week, it’s the NFC South.
Drew Brees
The NFC South is the arguably toughest division in football, and it contains the best group of starting quarterbacks in the NFL. Drew Brees sits atop this list, for now.
Brees has been a part of quite a run for the Saints. During his storied career, the surefire first-ballot Hall Of Famer has put up gaudy stats. Brees has thrown for over 500 touchdowns in his career and if he gets 19 more this season, he will tie Peyton Manning for most touchdown passes in NFL history.
Along with that, Brees already ranks number one all-time in passing yards. Brees and Sean Payton have been quite the duo and will go down as one of the best QB and coach duos of all time. Off the field, Brees has carried himself with class and helped New Orleans through some of the toughest times in the cities history.
One thing is certain, he’s one of the best to ever do it and his name and legacy will live on for a very long time.
Matt Ryan
For me, Matt Ryan is the clear-cut number two in the NFC South. The harder looks into the stats he has posted throughout his career, the more it becomes apparent that he’s been more than just “pretty good”.Ryan has passed for over 46,000 yards, 295 touchdowns to only 133 interceptions. A good chunk of his accomplishments came with newly-minted offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. Steve Sarkisian was a disaster as an offensive coordinator, but when Koetter got fired from the Buccaneers, Atlanta made the right move and scooped him up in a hurry. Having Koetter back makes Ryan more dangerous, but even more than that, Ryan has quite a receiving corps. The headliner for Ryan is Julio Jones, who was misused under Sarkisian. But don’t forget about his other weapons; Mohamed Sanu, Calvin Ridley, and Austin Hooper are quite the supporting cast.On top of that, the Falcons committed to improving run blocking and pass protection in this draft by taking Chris Lindstrom and Caleb McGary. Things have been rough for Ryan for a few years, but now? Things are looking up.
Cam Newton
Cam Newton has been solid since coming out of Auburn in 2011. After the Jake Delhomme era, the Panthers didn’t really have much to look forward to. Newton reached the height of his career in 2015 when he won the MVP award and reached the Super Bowl.This year, Newton will pass Randall Cunningham for most rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history. Newton will go down as the best dual-threat quarterback since Michael Vick, and quite possibly, of all time.His inability to win the Super Bowl in 2015, specifically not diving on the ball when he was stripped, will always shed a negative light on him. However, heading into 2019, the Panthers are poised for a bounce-back year under the direction of Cam Newton.
Jameis Winston
Since entering the league in 2015, Winston has been the subject of much scrutiny, mostly off the field.When he is on the field, he has shown flashes of greatness. His ability to, albeit clumsily, escape the pocket has been the subject of quite a few highlights. This year, Winston enters the year with a coach who actually wants him on the team, which should help.The Bruce Arians signing was the biggest signing the Bucs made this off-season. An All-Star team of coaches and a phenomenal supporting cast has Winston poised for a good year. All eyes will be on the guy with the most passing touchdowns and, by the end of this season, the most passing yards in Buccaneers history. His accolades are numerous for a young man who didn’t even have a coach who believed in him to this point in his career. For Winston, that is now in the past. The QB whisperer is in Tampa. What can Arians do for Jameis Winston?
